When should one ice christmas fruit cakes
It's that time of year again, where Christmas fruit cake have been baked and are being topped up with your favourite dark spirit. My favourite (and most successful) recipe suggested topping up with brandy weekly (without getting the cake too moist).
However, no suggestions were provided as to when is the right time to stop adding your spirits, and therefore to ice the cake.
I usually marzipan and ice the cake a few days before I want to gift it (and/or eat it), but I was wondering if there is an optimal time in this process to do so, and if so, why?
Best Answer
It's not unknown for me to keep a slice until April (well wrapped so it doesn't dry out). All that happens is that the icing gets a bit hard. I use fondant icing, and it takes at least a couple of months to get as hard as royal icing does almost immediately. This is with bought marzipan; if you make your own I don't know how well it would keep.
From this I'd say there's no such thing as too late except setting time, and too early would have to be over a month in advance. I also allow a day between marzipan and icing. This is mainly as a drier marzipan surface is easier to ice onto than when it's freshly applied.
Some of the early feeds (I use sherry) can be from the top if it's not iced. You take away this possibility by icing early. You probably shouldn't feed it from the top just before covering as it may still be damp. You can still feed from underneath after icing.
Pictures about "When should one ice christmas fruit cakes"
How early can you ice a Christmas Cake?
There's no hard and fast rule about when to ice your cake, but it's best to do it between 24 hours and a week ahead of the big day.When should I ice my Christmas Cake after marzipan?
The traditional coat of almond icing (marzipan) should be put on the cake a week before you want to ice it, to allow its oiliness to dry out. Cover the marzipan surface with a clean tea cloth and store out of the tin or container. Icing is best left to the last few days \u2013 in my case often until Christmas Eve.How long will fruitcake last when iced?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that fruitcake will last two to three months in the refrigerator without spoiling, and will maintain its quality if stored up to a year in the freezer.When should I start feeding my Christmas Cake?
Our advice is to feed it once after it's initially baked, then no more than four times during the maturation period. Try a teaspoonful of whichever alcohol you've chosen before you begin feeding your cake to test its strength.How to Ice a Christmas Fruit Cake in 2021 (The BEST WAY) | Part 3 of 3
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Nadine Wuchenauer, Kaboompics .com, Skitterphoto, Tim Douglas